Connect bus service to all Erie universities: Julie Minich and Lisa Austin

By JULIE MINICH and LISA AUSTINContributing writer

June 18, 2014 12:01 AM

By JULIE MINICH and LISA AUSTINContributing writer

June 18, 2014 12:01 AM

LEARN MORE THURSDAYLearn about the Pennsylvania Higher Education Road Network at a free public event on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the conference room at the Intermodal Transportation Center, 208 E. Bayfront Parkway. Representatives from eight organizations will attend.For more information, e-mail lisa@lisaaustinpa.com or call 452-8401.

The American Public Transportation Association, along with other systems across the U.S., including the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority, will celebrate the ninth annual National Dump the Pump Day on Thursday. All over the country, free bus fares will be offered on National Dump the Pump Day to encourage people to ride public transportation instead of driving.

Two local community groups, All Aboard Erie and Civitas, are joining the Dump the Pump celebration by hosting a 90-minute conversation on a proposal for a Pennsylvania Higher Education Road Network. Designed by Edinboro University of Pennsylvania students and presented in the form of a map, PHERN proposes to link regional colleges and universities to each other, Erie International Airport, Union Station and the Intermodal Transportation Center by direct bus service.

According to the Economic Policy Journal, the cost of owning a car, including payments, repairs, basic maintenance, parking fees and gas, is well over $9,000 a year. With the average full-time income in Erie County hovering around $30,000, owning a car consumes nearly a third of a worker's annual salary.

The Huffington Post notes that the average college student graduates with about $30,000 in debt. For students who commute to college, a car is the next largest drain on their budgets after tuition. Some commuting students need a vehicle to get to school because public transportation is not available, or convenient. Many students who live on campus choose to keep a car; they often serve as a taxi for friends who don't have cars.

The price tag for owning a car for four years of college adds up to about $36,000. Thinking about that sum, it is no surprise that the Center for Urban Transportation Research reports that students who don't own cars graduate with less debt. In addition, these students also have more time during college to focus on internships rather than having to work to pay for their cars.

If our regional colleges and universities were connected by direct bus service, students, faculty and staff would be more likely to collaborate on projects, events and even courses. A transportation network could foster a regional consortium and build on the strengths of individual schools.

Most universities in northwestern Pennsylvania already have a contract with EMTA and pay to allow people with university IDs to ride "the e," the name for Erie's buses, without charge. If students, faculty and staff want increased bus routes, additional funding from the schools will be required to support the increased expense to the EMTA.

The World Resources Institute's transportation policy group, EMBARQ, works to "help cities make sustainable transportation a reality." EMBARQ notes that rapid bus transit systems provide "speed, predictability and comfort" with much less cost than other forms of transportation.

To promote a dialogue on the idea of linking colleges by bus, eight interested leaders are gathering to discuss bus transit and the PHERN proposal. Included are representatives from Adam J. Trott Architect; All Aboard Erie; Civitas; Amalgamated Transit Union 568; Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; the Erie Metropolitan Planning Organization; the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority; the Northwest PA Green Building Alliance; and the School of Architecture and Planning at State University of New York at Buffalo.

JULIE MINICH, assistant executive director of All Aboard Erie, is a local community activist involved in social, mass transit and environmental issues (bus@allaboarderie.com).LISA AUSTIN cofounded Civitas in 2004, which created three regional organizations to improve greater Erie: All Aboard Erie, Innovation Erie and Preservation Erie (www.civitaserie.com).

LEARN MORE THURSDAYLearn about the Pennsylvania Higher Education Road Network at a free public event on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the conference room at the Intermodal Transportation Center, 208 E. Bayfront Parkway. Representatives from eight organizations will attend.For more information, e-mail lisa@lisaaustinpa.com or call 452-8401.